sophistry
UK /ˈsɒ.fɪ.stɹi/ · US /ˈsɑ.fɪ.stɹi/ noun
Forms sophistries
- noun (uncountable, historical) The actions or arguments of a sophist.
- noun (uncountable) Plausible yet fallacious argumentation or reasoning.
- noun (countable) An argument that seems plausible, but is fallacious or misleading, especially one devised deliberately to be so.
Synonyms
excuse sophism casuistry casuistics pilpul pilpulism Jesuitry Jesuitism sophistication
Etymology
From Middle English safistre, soffistre, sofystry, sophestrie, sophestry, sophestrye, sophistre, sophistri, sophistrie, sophistry, sophistrye, sophystrye, from Old French sofisterie, sophistrie and Medieval Latin sophistria, Anglo-Latin sophestria, from Latin sophista, from Ancient Greek σοφιστής (sophistḗs, “wise man”), from σοφίζω (sophízō, “to be wise”), from σοφός (sophós, “wise”), equivalent to sophist + -ry.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The art or process of reasoning; logic. [Obs.]
- noun The practice of a sophist; fallacious reasoning; reasoning sound in appearance only.
Etymology [OE. sophistrie, OF. sophisterie.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sophistry”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details